Category: Direction Matters

Most of us never think about our four year away self.

We mostly think about our today self.

And our today self is too busy to learn a new skill.

…Too tired to start a new book.

..Too lazy to build a new creation.

But, for those who find a way to get their today self to start the process of learning that new skill, reading that new book, and building that new creation… get to eventually step into a version of themself who makes them look back at older versions with a bit of cringe and embarrassment.

This is real.

And our future self is real.

And those who can learn to treat their future self like a real person are the ones who get to step into their more highly realized version(s).

Because busy, tired, and lazy soon enough lead to a regressed version of our future self. One who makes us envy where we once were. And the thought of our best days being behind us isn’t a motivating way to move forward at all…

P.s. Are you serious about realizing the potential of your future self? Both of my guides are on sale for a few more days. More here.

Things you’re never “done” with:

• Books
• Health
• Legacy
• Art/Creations
• Relationships

…So stop tricking yourself into thinking that after you’ve:

• Read the book…
• Finished that 30-day fitness challenge…
• Retired from your career…
• Shipped that one creation…
• Married the person you love…

…That you’re “done.”

No.

You’re *always* just beginning.

I’m at a Martial Arts Conference this weekend and one of the presenters said the following:

“When my daughter, 14 years old, starts dating—in 23 years (said only half-jokingly)—the person who takes her out better be able to articulate a moral code. Because if they can’t, that’s because there probably is no code.”

Regardless of whether or not you’re dating, married, single… if I asked you right now to articulate your moral code… could you?

As in, could you articulate to me, right now, what you stand for… what you value… what you believe… what guides you… what keeps your moral compass calibrated… what “forward” on your moral compass looks like…

Because if you can’t articulate it… what you have to ask yourself is—with full honestly—is there one there?

P.s. If you’re looking for help calibrating “forward” on your compass, this guide will help.

We find our way forward by moving forward—not by standing still.

It’s tempting to want to chart out the entire journey before beginning—to minimize the surprises and unknowns. And to a certain extent, thorough planning can be quite helpful. But, at the other end of the spectrum, too much can be a handicap.

The reality we must accept with moving into the unknown (the future), is that there are going to be unknowns—things you couldn’t possibly have planned for by staring at the drawing board. And so we plan and prepare for a “good enough” amount of time—no more—and then we venture forth.

I aim to spend 30-60 minutes thinking carefully each day about my path and my trajectory (this blog). And the rest of the time, I try and spend walking, playing, teaching, training, trying, failing, doing, creating, interacting, producing, shipping, reading, experimenting, etc—pressing my boots firmly into the erasing nature of the earth.

Because it’s much easier to figure out which way to go when you can look back at where you’ve come from—and can utilize all of the info that accompanies that history. Moving forward from a singular point—with no past trajectory—makes forward exponentially harder to figure out.

My questions for you are: How much time to you spend thinking vs acting? Do you like this ratio? What might your ideal ratio be and what adjustments can you make to get there?

What does what you’ve posted publicly online say about you?

Imagine for a second that all of your social media posts and comments from all of your accounts, all of your websites, all of your blogs, etc… were neatly laid out in front of me in a multi-tabbed browser. No time for curating either—everything that’s public right now is what would be opened for me to review.

Does the thought of that make you feel proud or cringe? Do you think it would be a fairly accurate representation of you or not so much? Do you think this profiling would match what I would say about you if we spent a few hours in conversation in person together?

Here’s the thing…

A big part of your legacy will be what’s left publicly online. It’s where so many of us spent so much of our time. It’s where so many of your loved ones keep in touch with you and your life’s story.

…And it’s where so many of us will go to remember you.

If you’re not careful, you might end up leaving behind an unintentional legacy. One that makes you cringe or feel superficial or one that just plain misrepresents the “real” you. And not because what you shared didn’t authentically come from you, but because it was shared unintentionally with other people in mind—and became tainted.

This is your reminder to be mindful with how you use your public tools.

Everything you do contributes to the overall picture that ultimately becomes your life’s legacy. To think otherwise might lead to patches in your picture that feel out of place and that you ultimately regret.